Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at the Inauguration of Jal Bhushan Building and Gallery of Revolutionaries at Raj Bhawan, Mumbai
Governor of Maharashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari ji, Chief Minister Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Ajit Pawar ji, Shri Ashok ji, Leader of Opposition Shri Devendra Fadnavis ji, other dignitaries present here, ladies and gentlemen! This day also marks Vat Purnima as well as the birth anniversary of Sant Kabir. I extend my best wishes to all the countrymen.
We have all come together today for a great event. I am very happy to inaugurate this Gallery of Revolutionaries, dedicated to the heroes of the Freedom War.
Friends,
This Raj Bhawan of Maharashtra has been witness to many democratic events in the previous decades. It has also been a witness to the resolutions that were taken in the form of oaths here in the interest of the Constitution and the nation. Now the Jal Bhushan Bhawan and the Gallery of Indian Revolutionaries built in the Raj Bhawan have been inaugurated here. I also got the opportunity to participate in the 'Dwar Pujan' of the Governor's residence and office.
I hope this new building infuses new energy in all the people of Maharashtra as well as the governance of Maharashtra. The Governor too has said that this is not a Raj Bhawan but a Lok Bhawan. I believe that it will emerge as a ray of hope for the people in the true sense. And I extend my heartiest congratulations to all the friends here on this momentous occasion. I also congratulate the historian Vikram Sampath ji and all the other friends associated with the creation of 'Kranti Gatha'.
Friends,
I have been to the Raj Bhawan many times before. I have stayed there several times. I am glad that while preserving the glorious art and old history of this building, you have also embraced modernity. It also shows the role of this place in bravery, faith, spirituality and freedom movement according to the great tradition of Maharashtra. This place is not far from the place where Pujya Bapu had started the Quit India Movement. This building has witnessed the removing the symbol of slavery at the time of independence and the tricolour being hoisted with pride. Now the new construction and the place dedicated to our freedom fighters here will further strengthen the values of patriotism.
Friends,
Today's event is also significant because the country is celebrating 75 years of its independence i.e. 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. This is the time to commemorate every brave hero, every fighter, every great personality, who had contributed to the country's independence and its prosperity. Maharashtra has inspired the country in various fields. Speaking of social revolutions, there is a very rich legacy of social reformers like Jagatguru Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj and Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Before coming here, I was in Dehu where I had the privilege of inaugurating the Sant Tukaram Shila Mandir. In Maharashtra, saints like Sant Dnyaneshwar, Sant Namdev, Samarth Ramdas, Sant Chokhamela have inspired the country. If we talk about Swarajya, then the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj still strengthens the feeling of patriotism in every Indian. When it comes to freedom, Maharashtra has produced countless such brave fighters who sacrificed everything for freedom. Today I can see the expanse of this ocean from the Durbar Hall and it reminds us of the valour of Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar ji. The way he turned every torture into the urge for freedom is going to inspire every generation.
Friends,
When we talk about India's independence, knowingly or unknowingly we limit it to a few incidents but India's independence has involved the efforts and sacrifices of countless people. The various incidents at the local level had created a collective national impact. The means were different but the resolution was the same. Lokmanya Tilak used his own methodology while the Chapekar brothers, who were inspired by him, paved the way for freedom in their own way.
Vasudev Balwant Phadke had left his job and adopted the path of armed revolution, while Madam Bhikhaji Cama had sacrificed her affluent life and lit the flame of freedom. The source of inspiration for our present day tricolor was the flag designed by freedom fighters like Madam Cama and Shyamji Krishna Varma. Irrespective of the social, familial and ideological roles, irrespective of the location of the movement in the country or abroad, the goal was one - complete independence for India.
Friends,
Our freedom movement was both local and global in nature. Like, the Ghadar Party was national at heart but was also global in scale. Shyamji Krishna Varma's India House was an organization of Indians in London but the mission was India's independence. The Azad Hind government under the leadership of Netaji was dedicated to Indian interests, but its scope was global. This is the reason that the freedom movement of India inspired the freedom movements of many other countries of the world.
This spirit of local to global is also the strength of our 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan'. The local products of India are being given national and international recognition through the ''Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan'. I am sure that the people visiting the “Gallery of Indian Revolutionaries” will get new inspiration to fulfill the national resolutions and develop the feeling of doing something for the country.
Friends,
In the last 7 decades, Maharashtra has always played a crucial role in the development of the nation. Mumbai is definitely the city of dreams! But there are many such cities in Maharashtra which are going to be the growth centres of the country in the 21st century. With this thinking, on one hand the infrastructure of Mumbai is being modernized and at the same time modern facilities are being increased in other cities as well.
Today, when we see the phenomenal improvement in Mumbai Local trains, when we look at the expansion of the metro network in several cities, when we see every corner of Maharashtra being connected with the modern National Highway, we can feel the positivity of development. All of us are also witnessing the fact that today a new aspiration for development has awakened even in the tribal districts that had been left behind in the journey of development.
Friends,
In this 'Azadi Ka AmritKaal', we all have to ensure that every piece of work we are doing and our respective roles strengthen our national resolve. This is the way of rapid development of India. Therefore, I want to reiterate the call for 'Sabka Prayas' in the development of the nation. We as a nation have to move forward with the spirit of mutual cooperation. We need to give strength to each other. With the same spirit, I once again congratulate everyone for the Jal Bhushan Bhawan and the Gallery of Indian Revolutionaries.
And probably the people will make fun of us that Raj Bhawan has been a hub of activities for the past 75 years but no one knew about the bunker below for seven decades! That is, how indifferent we are to our own heritage! But Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav has helped us move in the direction of digging and understanding the pages of our history.
We also saw the picture of Shyamji Krishna Varma. You will be surprised to know how decisions used to be taken in the country. Lokmanya Tilak had written a letter to Shyamji Krishna Varma and had told him - "I am sending a promising young man like Swatantraya Veer Savarkar. Please help in arranging for his accommodation”. Shyamji Krishna Varma was such a personality.
Swami Vivekananda used to go to satsang with him. And India House in London had become a kind of hotspot for nationalist activities under the nose of the British. Shyamji Krishna Varma ji had passed away in 1930. He had wished - "My ashes should be preserved until India is free and should be taken to the land of free India".
It's almost 100 years since that incident. Hearing this incident of 1930, you too might be getting goose-bumps. But see the misfortune of my country! The person who had died for the country in 1930, whose only wish was that his ashes be taken to the land of free India, so that at least his remains could feel the taste of freedom as he couldn't do so when he was alive. He had no other expectation. Don't you think this work should have been done the very next day of 15th August, 1947? But it was not done. And perhaps that was an indication from God.
In 2003, after 73 years, I had had the privilege of bringing those ashes to India. Friends, the ashes of a son of Mother India kept waiting. I had the good fortune of carrying it on my shoulders and I had landed here at the Mumbai airport with the ashes. And from here I went to Gujarat after undertaking the Veeranjali Yatra. And Mandvi, Kutch was the place of his birth. So, a similar India House was built there. And thousands of students go there and experience this saga of revolutionaries.
Today the bunker which no one even knew about, in which such things were kept that were to be used to eliminate the revolutionaries of India; the same bunker has now been turned into the Gallery of Revolutionaries where the names of my revolutionaries have been etched. My countrymen should have this feeling; that is when the young generation of the country gets inspired. And that is why this effort of Raj Bhawan is to be appreciated.
I would particularly urge the people of the education department to take our students to such places. Whenever trips or tours are organized once or twice a year, we usually take the students to some big picnic spots. Can we make it a habit to take them to places like Andaman and Nicobar to show them the prison where Veer Savarkar had spent his entire youth? Can we sometimes take them to this bunker and show them how these brave men had sacrificed their lives for the country and the countless people who had fought for our freedom? And in a country like India, there would not be a single day in the colonial period of 1000-1200 years when the cry for freedom was not awakened in one or the other corner of the country. There has been this single minded mission for 1200 years; this spirit belongs to the people of this country. We have to know it, recognise it and try once again to live it and we can do that!
Friends,
That's why I consider today's occasion important in many ways. I want this area to become the hub of inspiration for the young generation of the country in a true sense. I congratulate everyone for this effort. I am ending my speech by thanking you all!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.